“I’m really upset by it,” Kyle said as he stood outside the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., following Strikeforce’s press conference on Thursday. “It makes me really not even want to fight. I don’t feel like I’m getting nowhere in the sport. All the changes I’ve made in my life and the things I’m doing, there’s no recognition for it.”

Strikeforce held a press conference on Thursday to promote Saturday’s card at the HP Pavilion. The main card, which airs on Showtime, includes a 205-pound fight between Kyle and former champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante.

Cavalcante, ex-champ Gegard Mousasi and Kyle stand out as the most prominent names in Strikeforce’s light-heavyweight division following last year’s loss of Dan Henderson to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the release of Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal earlier this year. Strikeforce’s 205-pound title has been vacant since Henderson left.

But Coker declined to officially characterize Cavalcante-Kyle as a title eliminator bout.

“As far as the natural progression, the winner will probably advance to fight for the title,” Coker said during the press conference. “But at this point right now, it hasn’t been determined yet. … We always like to see how the fight goes. We’ll talk to (matchmaker) Sean (Shelby) and folks back in Vegas, and then we’ll go from there.”

That statement left Kyle seething quietly. He quickly walked out of the arena without a word to anyone as soon as the press conference ended.

USA TODAY caught up with Kyle as he exited the venue. Excerpts from the conversation:

USA TODAY: What has you upset right now?

Kyle: I think it’s bullcrap. You heard what he said — maybe I’ll be the No. 1 contender. I haven’t lost any 205-pound fights. I definitely believe that I’m the No. 1 contender. I was told before I’d be the No. 1 contender.

It is what it is. I’m really upset by it. It makes me really not even want to fight.

I don’t feel like I’m getting nowhere in the sport. All the changes I’ve made in my life and the things I’m doing, there’s no recognition for it.

It really upsets and it makes me not want to fight.
USA TODAY: Do you think maybe Scott was just being cautious?

Kyle: Maybe he was being cautious, but like I said, I was told before I was No. 1 contender. All the fans, seems like they want me to be the top contender.

It is what it is. I’ve got to try to be patient and go home and pray about it.

USA TODAY: Feijao’s not a bad guy to fight.

Kyle: Oh, it’s a great fight. Feijao’s a great competitor. Nothing to take away from him.

I beat him. I knocked him out once.

He ended up getting a title shot only because I did their organization a favor and I went and fought Fabricio Werdum on a four-day notice here because they needed someone to fight. I did the organization a favor when I go and fight Bigfoot (Antonio Silva) on a five-day notice.

I lost two fights at heavyweight division, two fights that I was dominating. I was doing them a favor. Didn’t take a pay raise. Just for the opportunity because I thought I was going to win those fights and I didn’t want to bet against myself.

I really am upset by them not saying I’m the No. 1 contender when I believe I am. All the fans out there say I am.

It’s bullcrap. It is what it is.

But I’m going to go out there. I’m going to fight my fight.

USA TODAY: Given how you feel right now, how do you shake that off so you can go into the fight on Saturday without it weighing on your mind?

Kyle: Yeah, exactly. I’m going to go home and I’m going to do some prayer and work on my meditation and channel that bad energy that I feel off of this press conference today and focus on Feijao – everything’s Feijao – and go out there and perform.

He feels he’s a much better fighter than the last time you fought him. How much of a difference do you see?

You know what? He doesn’t have a gas tank. I’m in the top shape I’ve been in. I plan on this fight going later in the rounds. It might be a boring first round (as) I run around, but second, third round, I look to finish the fight.

I’ve made jumps in my game, he’s made jumps in his game. He’s a former world champion. That’s the way I look at it. I believe I’m the No. 1 contender. I believe I’m going to win this fight and get my title shot.

USA TODAY: Are you worried at all about his power? He has that big punch.

Kyle: Yes, he does. I’m going to stay away from his power in the first round and look to finish the fight later in the fight.

You have good power yourself, as you showed in your first fight against him, among others. How vulnerable is he to what you did to him, to what Dan Henderson did to him?

He’s very vulnerable. All his fights (that he loses), he gets hit in the chin, he gets knocked down and knocked out. That goes to show that he doesn’t have the greatest chin.

Like I said, the strategy is to weather his storm, wait later in the rounds and look to finish him, hit him in that chin.

* * * * *

Kyle might have been less irritated if he heard Coker’s statements afterward, when he made clear that the 205-pound bout would lead to a championship shot for the winner.

“This fight has title implications, for sure,” Coker said. “I think whoever wins this title will get the title shot. To say he’s the No. 1 contender? I think that’s yet to be determined. But (the winner) will definitely get the shot, so he’s either No. 1 or 2.”

Coker suggested that Kyle direct his ire toward Cavalcante.

“Mike should just relax, get ready for the fight, take that energy out on Feijao and not worry about it,” Coker said.

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is probably the greatest female fighter on the planet, which is a tremendous feat. So why are we seemingly so obsessed with arguing about whether she could beat up men?